Hair cutting comb



Feb. 22 1949. w M. MANSFE'LD l 2,462,519

HAIR CUTTING CQMB Filed Jan. 27, 1947 iin I N VEN TOR.

F7 TTOIZNEV Waff/.reu ill. l

Patented Feb. 22 1949' 2,462,519 mim comme come Warren M. Mansfield, Glendale, Calif., asslgnor to Sta-Neet Corporation, Los Angeles, Calif., a corporation of California Application January 27, 1947, Serial No. 724,607

i Claims.

This invention relates to a hair cutting comb adapted for trimming and thinning the hair, and pertains more particularly to such a device provided with an adjustable cutting blade of the safety razor type which is adjustable with respect to the comb teeth to different positions for use as a hair trimmer, hair thinner, or plain comb.

This application relates tothe s ame general type of device as that covered in the application of Sanford E. A. Sanders, entitled Hair cutting comb filed June 8, 1946, Serial Number 675,375, and is distinguished therefrom vin the character of the supporting means for the adjustable blade.

A particular object of this invention is to provide a device which may be fabricated at a low cost, is simple in operation, and eiective in use.

A further object of the invention is to provide a hair cutting comb having an adjustable blade thereon cooperating with the comb teeth, in which the adjustable blade is adapted to be frictionally retained in any given position of adjustment.

The above and other objects of this invention will be more fully brought out in or will be apparent from the ensuing description of a preferred embodiment of the invention as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a hair cutting comb of my invention;

Fig. 2 isa fragmentary longitudinal section thereof, on an enlarged scale, as taken on line 2-2 in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary partly-broken-away elevation of the central portion of the comb shown in Fig. 1, as taken on line 3-3 in Fig. 2; showing the cutting blade in one operative position;

Fig. 4 is a view corresponding to Fig. 3, with the cutting blade in an alternative operating position, and

Fig. 5 is a transverse section of the structure, as taken on line 5-5 in Fig. 1, n a scale intermediate that of Figs. 1 and 2. Y

Referring to the drawings, a comb body is indicated at I, provided along one' edge with a series of comb teeth 2, the central section 3 of which is intended to be employed in the function of "thinning the hair, as hereinafter more particularly described. A second series of teeth I is preferably also provided along the opposite edge of the comb body I, as at the longitudinally central section thereof, which teeth are intended to be employed as "trimming" teeth. The comb body is spaced opposing, slots 9 the recess 5, a minor clearance provided with a longitudinally extending recess 5 at the position of the thinning section 3 of the teeth 2 and at the position of the trimming teeth 4, said recess being provided with a curved back wall 6. Shoulders 1 are provided to denne the end walls for the recess 5, together with overlying shoulders 8 adjacent the end Vshoulders 'I cooperating therewith to define longitudinally which extend generally parallel to the plane of the comb body I and transverse to the length of such body. The recess 5 is adapted to receive a cutting blade of the safety razor type, as shown at is preferably provided with a pair of longitudinally extending cutting edges Illa and I0b. The blade III is adapted to be retained within the recess 5 through the agency of a generally planar resiliently deformable slide member il which is preferably provided with projections or lug means I2 projecting from the plane of the member II and adapted to engage apertures I3 provided in the blade II). The length of the slide vmember II is preferably such as to cause the end portions Il thereof to slidably engage the end shoulders 1 of therebetween being shown in the enlarged scale View of Fig. 2, so as to bear upon said shoulders 1 to guide the member II in its transverse movement within the slots 9 and cause the cutting edges Illa and Ib to be restrained in relative parallelism with the length of the comb adjustment of the blade I0 and slide II within the recess 5.

The structure is assembled by superimposing the slide member Il upon a blade I0, tting the projections I2 into the apertures I3 of the blade, bending the blade and slide member longitudinally into a shape consonant with the curved shape of the back wall 6 of the recess 5, and sliding the blade and slide member into the slots .9. The restoring forces resulting` from the resilient deformation of the blade I0 and slide member II out of the normally plane shape will produce a frictional engagement of the blade I0 upon the back wall G of gagement of the ends I4 of the slide member II upon the overlying shoulders 8 at the ends of the recess, tending to cause the assembled blade and slide member to be retained in any adjusted position thereof transversely of the comb body. The outer face of the slide member II may be 'provided with projections IB to facilitate the frictional engagement of the slide member by the user, if desired.

The thinning comb teeth arranged in the I0, which blade body I in all positions of the recess 5, and a frictional enslotted as at rather considerable lateral central section 3 adjacent the position oi' the recess 5 are shown as comprising a plurality of cooperating tooth pairs I'I, the structure being I8 between adjacent pairs to a position beyond the lower edge of the recess 5, as may be defined by aligned ledges I9 on the tooth pairs I1. This extension of the slots I8 beyond the ledges I9 is readily apparent from Figs. 3 and 5, from which it will be seen that the lower edge I b of the blade I8 is available for contact with the hair gathered within the slots I8 while the intermediate portions of the blade'at the position of the ledges I 9 is guarded against contact with the portion of the hair which will enter the slots 20 between adjacent teeth of individual pairs. The comb body is preferably sloped away from the most inwardly end portion of the slots I8, as shown at 2|, which facilitates the passage of the comb device through the hair and the engagement with the blade edge IIlb with the hair portions disposed within the slots I8.

As shown in Figs. 3 and 4, the assembled slide member II and the blade I8 are. adapted for a adjustment in position; in the position of Fig. 3 the blade edge Illa is available for a shaving operation, as in clearing the hair from the leg, for example, andin the position of Fig. 4 the cutting edge IIJb is positioned in cooperation with the thinning teeth I'I while the cutting edge Illa is positioned to cooperate with the teeth 4 for a trimming operation, it being required to invert the comb body in use so that the respective cutting edges are drawn toward the hair to be cut in each case. With the cutting blade in the position of Fig. 3, the teeth 2 and 3 of thecomb may be employed in a normal combing relation.

The projections I2 at the rearward face of the slide member Il which are intended to engage the apertures I3 in the blade I0 are preferably of such length withrespect to the thickness of the blade I0 as to project beyond the blade when the slide member is superimposed thereupon, which facilitates the placement of the blade upon the projections, and I may provide clearance recesses 23 in the back wall of the recess' in position to accommodate the projections I2 without interfering with the transverse adjustment of the blade with respect to the comb body.

The above specific description of a preferred embodiment of my device iustration only, and I do not consider my invention as limited strictly thereto, but rather to the scope of the subjoined claims. For example, while I have shown the blade IU as being disposed in a recess 5 which is located centrally of the length of the comb I, it will be obvious that the blade and recess may be located nearer to or at one end of the comb, without departing from my concept. Furthermore, while I have described my preferred structure as utilizing a slide member such as shown at II to cover the blade I0, it will be apposition in use. Where the slide is omitted, it may further be preferable to increase the curvature of the recess wall 6, and/or materially decrease the spacing of the shoulders 8 from the bottom of the recess 5 at its ends.

I claim:

is given by way of il-4 omission of this member isy 'thereof and an said blade in use.

1. A hair cutting comb, which comprises: an elongated generally planar comb body provided with -a plurality elongated recess in one side adjacentthe position of at least some of said teeth, said'recess being adapted to receive a thin metal blade of the "safety-razor type with a cutting edge thereof disposed generally parallel to the length of said body, and said recess having a back wall of outwardly convex curvature in. the direction of the length of said body, and said comb body having shoulder means at the longitudinal ends of said recess in spaced opposition to said back wall; and 'a resiliently deformable slide member of generally planar form adapted to slidably engage within said recess in superimposition upon such a blade upon deformation of such member and blade into curved shape consonant with the curvature of said back Wall, and to be frictionally retained in said recess by engagement thereof by said shoulder means.

2. A construction as set forth in claim 1, said slide member being of shorter transverse dimension than the blade adapted to be received within said recess to thereby expose the cutting edge of 3. A construction slide member being as set forth in claim 2, said provided with lug means projecting from one face thereof and adapted to engage within apertures provided within such a blade and thereby position such blade relative to said slide member.

4. A hair cutting comb which comprises: an elongated generally planar comb body provided with a plurality of comb teeth along one edge thereof and an elongated recess in one face in spaced relation to the tips of said teeth throughout a portion of the length of said body; first shoulder means provided by said body to dei'lne the longitudinal ends of said recess; second shoulder means defined by said body at the longitudinal ends of said recess to dene a pair of longitudinally spaced opposing slots extending generback Wall of outwardly convex curvature in the direction of the length of said body between the position of said slots, and being adapted to receive a thin metal blade of the double-edge safety-razor type with its cutting edges disposed generally parallel to the length of said body; and a, resiliently deformable slide member of generally planar form adapted to be slidably disposed within said recess in superimposition upon such a, blade, with the longitudinal ends of said member disposed within said slots in sliding engagement with said rst shoulder means and in frictional engagement with said second shoulder means, upon deformation of said member and the blade into curved shape consonant with the curvature of said back wall.

WARREN M. MANSFIELD.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the ille of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS of comb teeth along one edge 

